US Defence secretary Pete Hegseth says Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded and possibly disfigured following nearly two weeks of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, raising questions about his ability to govern.
Khamenei’s first comments since assuming the position of leadership were delivered in a written statement read by a television presenter on Thursday.
In the statement, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and called on neighbouring countries to shut down U.S. military bases on their territory or risk being targeted by Iran.
Hegseth however said the Iranian leader was wounded and could not show his face on camera.
BREAKING: “We know the new so-called, not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday, a weak one, actually. But there was no voice, and there was no video. It was a written statement.”
“Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice… pic.twitter.com/oxxezjtNS2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 13, 2026
Meanwhile, the United States has carried out strikes on more than 6,000 targets in Iran over the past 14 days, according to U.S. officials. Nearly two weeks of U.S.–Israeli bombings have reportedly killed about 2,000 people.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon was deploying an additional warship and Marines to the Middle East, while more troops were expected to be sent to the region.
Despite the strikes, Iranian drones have been reported flying into several countries across the region, including Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.
